Tony Pulis relishing his return to the Premier League as Crystal Palace show signs of recovery

Crystal Palace may have lost again under their new manager, but the Welshman
is determined to take advantage of another chance in the top flight.

Back in the big time: New Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis watches on as his team lose at NorwichPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

By Nick Szczepanik

11:00PM GMT 01 Dec 2013

Tony Pulis was still beaming almost an hour after his first outing as manager of Crystal Palace. “Everything about the Premier League is wonderful, even when you get beat,” he said. Now he just has to try to keep his new club there, and the beatings to a minimum.

On the evidence of Saturday's 1-0 defeat, he will accomplish the latter, but winning enough games to achieve the former almost certainly depends on beefing up a feeble attack during the January transfer window.

“I was pleased with everybody today,” Pulis said. “They have worked really hard and taken everything on board, although there were areas and situations where we need to improve and we have to bring one or two players in. I think the group would be the first to be pleased with that.”

The poverty of Pulis’s forward resources was highlighted on Saturday by the strike partnership of Cameron Jerome, who criticised him for playing favourites after his departure from Stoke City in the summer, and missed a good late chance, and the languid Marouane Chamakh, surely the antithesis of a typical Pulis player.

Not that Palace played down to the “Pulis team” stereotype at Carrow Road, where they produced some decent football, especially when Barry Bannan was on the ball.

But in case opponents’ kit men imagine that they need not pack the tin hats after all, Ireland defender Damien Delaney revealed that the new manager had also been drilling his players on set plays at both ends of the field.

"He has recognised that, so we have spent the week working on set plays, both attacking and defending. We haven’t scored enough from set pieces this year.”

They will try to improve in home games against West Ham United on Tuesday and Cardiff City on Saturday, two teams Pulis has in his sights for points.

“Seven teams are miles away from where we are at the moment and then you are hoping and praying that you pick points up against the rest.

"I thought the Palace support was absolutely brilliant today, as they have been all season, and we’ll need them. If we can turn the volume up a little bit more for the West Ham game then that will help the players. That’s about us giving them something to cheer about as well, like we did today.”

Gary Hooper’s goal and a headed clearance from Martin Olsson gave Norwich their second win in eight games and silenced suggestions that manager Chris Hughton’s job was in peril had they lost.

“Things are a lot tighter than usual, but if you’re in a certain position it can be [met] with doom and gloom,” he said. “You are only ever one or two wins away from being in a better position.”